LAY ME DOWN. chapter thirteen excerpt. 293 words. unedited. featuring: fiver, meaning well, tries to talk to pallas about [REDACTED SPOILERS REDACTED] and it going… poorly. some very mild violence. pallas being possibly the most maladjusted person under the sun.
“Are you trying to say,” they make their voice as cold as possible. Clench their fists to hide the shaking. “That it wasn’t my fault?”
Fiver blinks. Once. Twice. “Oh. Oh god no. Nothing like that.”
He takes a step forward. Pallas takes a step back and curses themself for allowing the weakness, for the fear bubbling like black tar in their throat.
Fiver's voice is low and gentle and exhausted, like he’s trying to coax an injured animal, hissing and spitting, from under a cabinet. Every cell in their body sparks with buzzing fight-or-flight warning. Danger! Danger! Trap!
“I’m saying that you’re a kid, and it was horrible,” in this light more than ever it’s clear just how much older he is. Pallas had never quite comprehended it before now. It had never mattered before now. “And I am so, so sorry.”
Twenty-five is a whole universe away from seventeen. They hate him hate him hate him. They’re going to melt his eyes in their sockets. They’re going to make him bleed.
Fiver takes another careful step forward, pausing to see whether Pallas flinches back or not. When they don’t his hand moves slowly through the air, as if to touch them. Pallas promptly bites it. Hard. When he starts backwards, swearing, they don’t even feel a flash of satisfaction.
Why did I do that? They could’ve just moved away. They could’ve just burst his heart and killed him here and now. But he’s torn something loose in them, something feral and small and scared. The space behind their eyes is burning and there’s no hiding the trembling now, the heart hammering frantically in their chest. They need to get out of here. They need to get out of here right now.
short little thing from a scene i just finished! pour one out for fiver my man is trying SO fucking hard.
TAGLIST (ask to be +/-). @vellichor-virgo @nicola-writes @doctormoss @gerbermatter @cactusprincewrites @dauntless-shadow-ice-1 @houndmouthed @muddshadow @aeipathys @just-wublrful @midnights-melodiverse @ramblingtaylorsversion
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Genuinely don’t know what noble pining is about but youve hyped it to the part that I want to read it when it drops
anon i hope you know ive been treasuring this in my askbox since you sent it in- it's both an honor and incredibly terrifying to think that there are people who are already excited for noble pining, despite the fact that i have neither finished writing nor started posting it skfjvskjfb it's a wip that is so special and dear to me and also something that's always felt like something of a pipe dream, given the subject and pairing of it isn't something that anyone's written before or shown any interest in lsfkjvnskfjbn!! it's also the longest thing ive ever written to date, and idk what i'n going to do with myself when i finally finish it- much less what im going to title it, because noble pining has always been intended just to be a working title skjfvnbsjkfvn
but for those interested parties ill give an overview of noble pining thus far: adaine/gorgug/fabian, fig/ayda, royalty au wherein adaine is a princess and gorgug and fabian are her guards, it's a non-dnd fantasy au (there is magic, but no dnd classes/tieflings/elves/etc), it's currently at around 80k words and I'm working on the fifteenth chapter, with loose plans for at least four or five more chapters on top of what ive already written 🤪
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What about spencer with a reader who is normally so independent and does everything for herself but she’s so soft for spencer and lets him dote on her and take care of her and the team is like :o bc they can’t believe she is letting someone do things for her
"I'm not a tyrant," Spencer's voice is inexhaustibly patient, and his fingers are slightly awkward as he holds them around his phone, angling it awkwardly so that you can see his upper half on face-time while he sits at his desk, "I just want you to take your medicine so that you can get better."
"I am better," You insist, your voice a far cry from its usual drawl. It's more ragged and weak, and you definitely have a stuffy nose, which indicates how untruthful your words are. Everyone knows it, most of the bullpen can hear your insistent griping, and they're beginning to feel bad for Spencer. They can't imagine how he'd gotten you to stay home today, but they're shooting each other knowing grins each time you push back against his gentle insistence.
"No, angel, you're not." Spencer croons, "You're on the mend, but you're not recovered yet. And you'll get worse if you don't take your meds. I put them on the nightstand for you, and some water. All you have to do is take them, and go back to sleep."
"I don't want to sleep!" You insist, and it's a whine- a whine! Emily's mouth splits in an incredulous grin, and a laugh threatens to tremble Derek's broad shoulders at how juvenile your attempts at protest have become. They're used to your biting words, your forceful demeanor, your inability to surrender any control, but Spencer's got you tucked into the covers begging for a kiss on the forehead.
"I've been sleeping all day, and I slept all day yesterday, and the day before that. I'm tired of sleeping. Just let me fill out some paperwork! Anything, Spence, please."
He chews on the inside of his cheek, ignoring the way that JJ giggles suspiciously with Penelope, who's leaning against the side of her desk, drawn out of her office for the spectacle.
"You can read," He relents, "And you can watch tv but only if you do it on your computer with the night light setting turned on," He narrows his eyes, taking on your rather rough persona to ensure that his orders are obeyed, "Promise?"
"Promise," You rasp, and the team can hear the smile in your voice, "Thanks, Spencer."
"Use the night light setting," He warns instead of accepting your thanks, "I'll check later to see if it's turned on!"
"Okay!" You laugh, and Spencer winces lightly as the sound morphs into a thick cough, "Okay, I'll- ah, I'll see you later, baby."
"See you later," He concedes with a fond smile, waving in addition to his verbal goodbyes, "Love you."
"Love you too," You promise, then end the call. Spencer feels the weight of everyone else's stares on him as he sets his seldom-used phone down and resumes working, refusing to acknowledge them unless they prod at him first.
"Good job, Spence," JJ congratulates, "I didn't think she'd ever take a sick day."
"I know," Emily gushes with bright eyes and a wild smile, "If I tried to tuck her in she'd probably bite me."
"Well, that's 'cause you don't have Pretty Boy's charm," Derek cracks, though the smile that he flashes Prentiss is reassurance that he's teasing Spencer more than he's teasing her, "Congrats on wearing the pants today, Reid. Enjoy it while it lasts, 'cause as soon as she's out of bed, she's taking the wheel again."
Spencer takes great pleasure in levelling Derek with a meaningful, "Shut up," because he's more than happy to be your passenger princess any day.
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